Field Commander Max
by Reilynn
Summary: Dark events transpire, convincing Max to sign up as Logan,s field commander after all. ML S1 Diverges. Not my usual slapstick. The M is for violence. Complete.
1. The Set Up

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

**Title**: Field Commander Max.

**Summary**: Events transpire that convince Max to sign up as Logan's field commander after all. ML S1 Diverges.

* * *

**Cast - Original Characters**

Ethan Ahern – Informant, long time Eyes Only member.

Daniel Johnson – Informant, long time Eyes Only member. Suspects that Logan is Eyes Only.

Jesse Johnson – Daniel's brother. Occasionally helps with Eyes Only missions with Daniel.

John Feltri – Informant, new Eyes Only helper.

Alison Lozeau – Informant, long time Eyes Only member. Strongly suspects that Logan is Eyes Only, but too respectful to say anything.

* * *

**Prologue**

Bling and Logan were already deep in conversation when Max entered the apartment. From what she overheard, as she rummaged through the fridge, there were some rumors going around the informant net that Logan is really Eyes Only. Apparently all roads led to Logan.

"No one else that I started this with is left," Logan said sadly.

"Well, unfortunately since I let slip that I pass things to you, you're the only 'inner circle' informant anyone knows about," Bling said.

"So I need to think of something to throw off suspicion. It's not as if I don't trust the informant net, but …" Logan trailed off. There was no need to elaborate, they knew.

"You could have an argument," Bling suggested.

"With myself?" Logan asked incredulously.

"Yeah. We could spread the rumor that, while you never wanted to disagree with Eyes Only before, you are standing up to him on this one …whatever," Bling recommended.

"So, we pick an issue and start a division in the informant net over it?" Logan pointed out the obvious drawback of the plan.

"You could argue about what O.C. and I argue about. That's innocuous enough." Max smiled her eyes alight with amusement.

Logan sighed, and took the obvious bait. "What do you and O.C. argue about?"

"Whether or not you're my boyfriend, or as Kendra puts it, 'my sugar daddy'." Max looked directly at Logan, daring him to comment on her suggestion or the apple she took from his fridge.

"That's actually a good idea," Bling said.

"So would I be the 'just friends' or 'boyfriend' side of this argument?" Logan asked in exasperation.

"Which do you want?" teased Max, grinning like a Cheshire cat. She and Logan stared at each other for a few moments, much to Bling's amusement, Logan's frustrated glare nearly the exact opposite of Max's gleeful expression.

Eventually Bling took pity on his employer. "You realize that you're going to have to do both sides of the argument, don't you, Logan?"

"I was wondering how long it would take for _him_ to figure that out!" Max pouted.

"Okay, fine. You're right. It's perfect. Innocuous and meaningless, but memorable, sensational, and gossipy. The perfect red herring. Thanks, Max." Logan thought for a moment. "You and O.C. argue about this?"

"Not so much any more, but, with the amount of time I spend with you or on errands for you. They assume things." Max shrugged and took a bit of her purloined apple. After the two men just stared at her while she finished the bite, "It's not like I can tell them 'I have to go help save the world! It's an Eyes Only thing!' What am I supposed to say?"

Logan nodded his head in agreement and turned back to his computer. It was time to start the red-herring ruse.

* * *

**The Set Up**

There was nothing specific to suggest that this meeting was anything out of the ordinary. Bling had a session with another client. Logan didn't want ask Max to accompany him, because he already felt guilty enough for the number of her evenings he had occupied this week. He knew she was getting flak with her friends about her 'sugar daddy'. Ethan Ahern, who helped with the Alina Herrero situation, said that he wasn't busy so Logan went to the meet with him. It was a trap.

Ethan was injured, but escaped. Logan was taken captive. Fortunately the goons didn't think to check Logan for bugs. After the incident with Bronck, Logan had acquired a GPS enabled cell phone. Ethan made it to a payphone and was able to contact Daniel Johnson. They met at the safe house. Ethan didn't know any of the 'higher ups' in the Eyes Only informant net. Daniel canceled bowling night and brought his brother Jesse with him. The only other person Daniel knew, outside of their 'cell' was Bling.

Daniel called Bling. Bling immediately left his PT session and went to Logan's apartment. He was able to obtain the address of where Logan was being held; it was in a very bad neighborhood. Bling called Alison Lozeau and asked her to go check the place out. Alison had worked with Logan way back in the days of the Pacific Free Press. She was careful and resourceful. Bling paged Max, checked his sidearm and then left for the safe house.

To be Continued...


	2. The Cavalry

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

* * *

**The Cavalry**

Max was at crash shooting pool with Sketchy. Sketchy was going on about his latest scheme. Max was only half listening. She knew that she should be listening, because eventually she was going to have to bail him out of whatever screwed up situation that he got himself into. It would be easier later if she already knew what was going on. Perhaps she could even talk him out if it, if she knew about it in advance. She knew that she should be listening, but for some reason she was just too distracted. Unfortunately for Sketchy, Max was also too distracted to remember to tone down her game, and ran the table on her first turn.

"Damn, Boo. You got some skills!" O.C. said from the sidelines as she finished her beer. "You been practicing with your roller boy?"

"No. And don't call him roller boy." Max held out her hand for her winnings.

"Whatever you say, Boo. But he sure been keepin' you on a short leash lately." O.C. refilled her glass from the pitcher. Max just rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Well, whatever you two have been up to, it sure improved your game. I only got one shot!" Sketchy reluctantly handed over a bill.

"If that improved you pool game I would be a master!" laughed Kendra. "I would love to find a rich boyfriend. What I can't figure is; why are you here with us?"

Max sighed. She was getting so tired of this argument. She couldn't tell them the truth, and suddenly she couldn't think of a reason she cared what they thought. Wouldn't it be easier if they thought Logan was her boyfriend? Wasn't like she was going to let anyone else get close to her. Still, she didn't like being thought of as a kept woman. "It's not like we are joined at the hip!" Max's pager picked that exact instant to go off. She checked the number on her hip. It was Bling's cell phone.

O.C. and Kendra caught the humor and laughed. Sketchy joined in even though he missed the irony.

"Roller boy!" Kendra and O.C. said to each other.

"First, his name is Logan. Second, it's not from him. It's from Bling," Max stated.

"Who's Bling?" Sketchy asked.

"Logan's physical therapist," Max reluctantly replied.

"Uh-huh. Short leash!" O.C. smiled and nodded wisely. Kendra just laughed.

Max sighed. She knew it was no use arguing with them. What could she tell them? "I'm just going to see what he needs." Max put the pool cue down and handed Sketchy the bill back "Here, go buy another pitcher and I'll be right back"

She wasn't.

* * *

On her way to the payphone in the back of Crash, Max felt her adrenaline start flowing. She knew something was wrong even before Bling answered. 

"Max?"

"Bling, what's wrong?"

"Some one grabbed Logan. Meet me at the safe house."

"Who? Where is he now?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there. He went with Ethan, he's already at the safe house getting patched up."

"Where's GPS say he is?"

"They are taking him somewhere in Sector 7. Meet me at the safe house."

It took all of Max's self control not to blur out of Crash.

Sketchy noted her running up the stairs and grinned like the idiot he was. "Booty call."

O.C. and Kendra looked at each other. "You think Logan is OK?"

"Dunno. I mean, know he's in a chair and all. You think something else is wrong with him?" O.C. asked.

"Maybe that's why Max has been spending so much time with him lately." Kendra only then began to worry.

"Max would tell us if something was wrong, right?" Sketchy asked. O.C. and Kendra just looked at him like the idiot he was.

Once Max got outside she let go. She hoped no one saw her as she ran to her Ninja and pushed it to the limit. Max raced across Seattle at speeds no ordinary human could control a motorcycle at.

* * *

Max ran into the safe house. Bling and three men she didn't recognize where around the computer. 

"Look at how many of them there are," Dan said.

"We can't do this. We should call the cops." Ethan tried to be the voice of reason.

"What makes you think that the cops are going to help?" Jesse replied bitterly.

"We have to try something," Dan insisted.

"That's crazy," Ethan reiterated. "It would be suicide!"

"I think that Logan **is** Eyes Only," Dan said quietly.

"Tell me you are kidding." Bling didn't know what else to say.

"No. I am not. Think about it ..." Dan started to expose his theory when Max interrupted him. She had heard enough.

"Report!" she shouted, startling all of them.

"Max …" Bling began.

"Where is he?" she demanded.

"His signal stopped moving. We are pretty sure he is inside. But the place is an armed camp." Ethan gestured to the computer screen with his one good hand.

'My specialty,' thought Max, as a grim smile crossed her face. She laughed softly at the irony. "Show me," she commanded.

Bling did. "There are two goons at the front gate, two more on the roof. And those are just the ones that Alison could get shots of without being noticed. The whole thing has a 12 foot fence around it. No telling how many inside."

'Exactly the type of situation I was made to deal with,' Max thought. She reached out and scrolled through all the pictures that Alison sent. She did a good job. This was good reconnaissance. "What's the address?"

"2715 SW Yancy," Bling answered.

"What are you going to do?" asked Jessie. He knew he wasn't very active in the Eyes Only network, but he had never even heard of Max. He just couldn't believe that this little female could be of any help.

"Go get Logan," Max replied calmly as she zipped her black leather jacket up over the too bright shift she wore to Crash and retrieved her stash of clothing from a dresser.

"Umm, Max? Listen, I appreciate your enthusiasm but…" Ethan began.

"Any of you have any combat experience?" Max asked the new faces as she changed her shoes. They all shook their heads. "Then all I need from you is to drive the car we put Logan in when I get him out."

"You can't just go up to the front gate!" Jessie stated incredulously.

"Fence is only about 12 feet. Not a problem." Max stated. She was far beyond caring about her 'secret identity'; they might actual obey better if they were a little frightened of her.

"Not a problem?" Ethan asks disbelievingly.

Max grabbed a headset. "You" she pointed to Ethan, "Stay here and monitor. The rest of you take a car and follow after in about 10 minutes. Stay at least five blocks away until I signal."

"And you're just going to march in there and do what?" Dan asked.

"Get to Logan, take down anyone in my way, get Logan out."

"We don't even know if Logan is still alive." Dan was chivalrously trying to talk the little woman out of this reckless course of action.

"If he's not then there is going to be a bloodbath that would make 'dad' proud, and you won't want to be anywhere near it." Max's voice was cold, her expression grim. She turned on her heal and dashed out of the room at transgenic speed. Four scared men stared after her in silence for some time before anyone found a voice.

"Um … Bling?"

To Be Continued ...


	3. The Siege

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

* * *

Warning: This is the chapter that gives the whole story its M rating. This is war, and it isn't pretty. Fairly dark violence, although not terribly explicit. Still, a warning label was suggested, so here it is.

* * *

**Siege**

Max had no problem getting to the bad guy's hideout. The armed goons on the roof were a dead give-away. Not only was this the right place, they were expecting trouble. It would be a shame to disappoint them.

Max jumped to the top of the twelve foot stone fence and looked around. There was a second story window slightly ajar. It was enough. Max leapt down from the fence and was across the yard and up and through the window before the dogs in the reacted. The goons in the yard didn't raise the alarm because the dogs were acting like they smelled a cat, not a human. Hundred pound cats are very deadly.

The first goon she came across was unconscious before he saw anything. She heard two more talking down the hall. She was about stalk down the hall to take them down when a scream went through the house. The thug she passed on her way to the source of the cry wasn't even sure if he saw anything.

As soon as she passed through the door at the end of the hall she had a clear view of the entire room downstairs. Logan was there, but he wasn't even close to OK. Max froze for only a second as an unfamiliar icy cold shot down her spine. She couldn't inhale any more air and she couldn't exhale; her chest was too tight. They had stripped him bare, literally. They had him suspended from the ceiling by a chain. She could see the red marks where they had been torturing him. Blood was slowly dripping down his atrophying legs. They had a video camera set up on Logan. They were filming his pain, suffering, and humiliation … for their amusement.

She could see the five criminals standing around casually smoking and talking, as if this were business as normal and not their last few seconds to live. Max knew time was passing, because she could hear them talking. Why couldn't she move?

"What if it isn't him?" one of the dead men asked.

One of Bronck's goons had survived! He answered. "Then there will be more broadcasts after we gut him. At least Eyes Only will be down an operative, and we'll still have the tape."

"We just wait until the drugs wear off," another of the dead men said.

"Why?" asked the first dead man.

"Tape will be worth more if he's screaming."

Max snapped.

Flashback to Manticore:_ Very young Max sitting at desk. Anatomy poster on the screen. Drill instructor barking. "There are a hundred ways to kill a man with your bare hands…"_

A neck snapped under Max's hands.

Flashback to Manticore:_ Harsh voice shouts, "It requires 35 pounds of properly placed pressure to drive the cartilage of the nose into the brain …"_

Max blurred to the corpse nearest Logan. She jumped, spun, kicked, and the cartilage that used to be his nose tore through his brain.

Flashback to Manticore: _"The Atlas of the spine consists of …_"

Max used her momentum to carry her to the next dead man. The force of the impact between Max's boot and his face ripped apart his second and third cervical vertebra, severing the spinal cord.

Flashback to Manticore: _"There are 12 thoracic vertebra in a human spine, each with two essential parts …"_

The fourth dead man met death without fear, only a tiny fraction of a second to wonder who the small female was. He never ever recognized a threat.

Flashback to Manticore: _"The neck contains the trachea as well as major artery and vein…"_

The last dead man standing recognized his death coming too late to do anything about it.

Max scanned the room. She confirmed that these five villains were dead. Not one of them even had time to scream. The alarm wasn't sounded yet, but that didn't mean she had any time to waste. She went to the video recorder, pocked the tape and smashed the odious machine that made it.

She went to Logan. She untied him and lowered him gently to the floor, cradling his battered body to her.

"Max?" Logan mumbles softly.

"I am here, Logan." Hot tears were running down Max's face.

"I'm sorry," he said weakly.

"It's OK. You'll be fine."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Logan started crying.

"It's OK. I am going to get you out of here. I'll take care of everything. You'll be all right," Max stated firmly. She picked Logan up and carried him to the closet near the front door. "You have to be all right," she whispered softly.

Max set Logan down gently inside the closet. She grabbed a softest coat there and covered Logan with it.

"Max. My angel. I am so sorry."

"Shh." Max couldn't stand to see Logan so … broken. He looked so wounded and miserable and she didn't know how to comfort him.

"Max…"

"Logan, it's going to be OK," Max insisted.

"It's not OK," Logan sobbed.

"It **will** be OK," Max reiterated. She realized that he must have told them something. She couldn't deal with how seeing Logan so wounded made her feel. One of the last honest men, the best person she had ever known, a truly good soul that just wanted to make the world a better place for others, he deserved so much better than what he got. He deserved more comfort than a messed up little chimera that didn't know what to say to make him feel better. He deserved more medical care than she had time or equipment or skill to give him.

"I'm sorry …" Logan cried.

Max couldn't stand it. "I will take care of you, Logan. I promise!" She kissed him, but she wasn't sure why.

"Max," Logan finally relaxed, smiled at her, and drifted into unconsciousness. "Max…"

"I'll take care of everything, Logan. I promise." Max lowered Logan into what she hoped was a comfortable position and covered him with a few more coats. Their owners wouldn't need them or any other worldly possessions ever again.

Flashback to Manticore: _Max is sitting at a desk in a room with many other children. A harsh voice shouts, "Surgical means sterile! There will be no loose ends. No survivors, no witnesses, no recording devices, no fingerprints, no evidence! Nothing that will implicate any particular party, unless we want a particular party implicated. **Surgical means sterile!"**_

Max stood up and opened the com. "Logan's hurt. Bring whatever first aid you've got. Make damn sure you're wearing gloves."

"I didn't bring gloves," was the lame response that comes through the com.

"See if you can find a pair of rubber gloves in the first aid kit, otherwise wait in the car. You do **not** want your fingerprints associated with this… Bring a blanket." Max snapped off the com, walked out of the closet to war.

* * *

When Bling got to the front gate it was partly open. Daniel and Jessie Johnson followed close behind him, wearing their rubber gloves. Nothing looked amiss from the outside, but as soon as they crossed the threshold they could see the corpses of three guards arranged in the bushes. Jessie went over to the first one, intent on checking for a pulse, then recoiled in horror when he saw the unnatural angle the head was at. He backed blindly into his brother; his breathing loud in the eerie quiet of the compound. 

"Calm down," ordered Bling. He didn't expect to find any resistance after Max's phone call, but you never knew. You could never be too careful when you worked with Eyes Only.

"He's dead," Jessie finally managed to choke out.

"I expect we'll get a lot of that," Bling returned calmly.

"They're all dead!" Jessie's voice was rising.

"Shhh! Jessie, we need to be quiet. Go wait in the car. Keep it running!" Daniel ordered him. Jessie nodded, and left gratefully.

Daniel and Bling entered the house cautiously through the open front door. They made their way down the hall to a very faint fizzing sound. They entered the large main room. Five corpses were strewn about. A video camera was smashed in one corner. Max was standing in the center of the room, near a chain suspended from the high ceiling, calmly pouring a 2-liter of coke on to the floor with one hand, a plastic garbage bag in the other.

"You passed Logan. He's in the coat closet immediately to the right as you come in." Max told them without turning to look. She finished spreading the cola about, calmly placed the empty container on the floor, picked up another 2-liter and walked toward the front door. Bling and Daniel stood absolutely still until she was almost to them.

"Should we check for …?" Bling started to ask.

"No. We need to get out of here. One of the thugs got off a shot. You have a car?" Max walked down the hall to the closet.

"Yeah. Jessie's in it, right out front." Bling looked around at the devastation. Daniel was glancing from the corpses to Max, eyes wide, too intimidated to utter a sound.

Max handed Daniel the 2-liter of coke. "Pour the coke over any blood," she commanded. He nodded, holstered his gun, and took the container.

Max went to the closet, opened the door and picked up Logan's unconscious form, coats and all.

Bling inhales sharply at the state of his friend. "Damn…"

"Bling. Call Dr. Carr. Have him meet us at the hospital-the downstairs entrance." Max cradled Logan to her, and walked quickly but smoothly to the waiting get away vehicle.

Bling put away the gun, pulled out his cell phone and jogged after them.

Daniel poured the soda all over the closet then ran as fast as he could toward his brother, away from this destruction. He finally understood why the Greek furies were female.

* * *

To be continued …Next: Aftermath. 


	4. Aftermath

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

* * *

**Aftermath**

Bling checked Logan over in the back of the van on the way to the hospital. He didn't locate any major wounds or head trauma, but Logan didn't wake up. Dr. Carr met them in the basement with a gurney for Logan. Max pulled up right behind them.

"What happened to him?" Dr Carr asked.

"I …I'm not entirely sure. He was conscious, but not very coherent when I got there." Max helped Bling move him to the gurney. "They were …questioning him."

Dr. Carr hesitated. "Think there is any chance Eyes Only will be able to get them prosecuted."

Max makes a small sound that might have been a bitter laugh. Bling answers, "I don't think any survived."

Dr. Carr nodded and took Logan to X-ray. He couldn't totally approve of vigilante style justice, but after what he saw they had done to Logan, he didn't disapprove either.

* * *

Bling was back with Dr. Carr helping to take care of Logan.

Daniel and Jessie Johnson had gone home.

Max was pacing around Dr. Carr's waiting room like a caged panther. She tried watching TV. She tried reading Dr. Carr's advanced medical textbooks. She tried the various medical journals. She even bounced off the walls a few times. Nothing would calm, or distract her from her worry over Logan. She had settled for watching TV, reading the New England Journal of Medicine (the October 12, 2017 issue, the article about the structure and function of molecular chaperones, with emphasis on their role in rescuing misfolded protein) and pacing around the room when the 11 o'clock news came on.

"_Good Evening, and Welcome to the official news source of the military command of the_ _state of Washington! Tonight's top story, the weather…"_

Max continued pacing, reading and worrying.

"_Also in the news police found a scene of carnage in Sector 7…"_

'Damn!' Max thought. 'How the hell did this get on the air? They usually suppress stuff like this. At least until they're sure it wasn't another government agency, which it kinda was.'

"…_17 dead of unknown causes."_

'Idiots,' thought Max.

"_The only lead police have is that the owner of the house, Victor Vivaldi, was rumored to be moving against Eyes Only."_

Max stopped pacing and swore vividly to herself. 'How did they know that?' she thought.

"_An FBI agent who was deep cover within Victor Vivaldi's organization …"_

'Oops,' thought Max.

"…_reported that Vivaldi had captured a man that they suspected was Eyes Only. The agent, who cannot be identified for security reasons, arrived at the house to find, not Eyes Only, only corpses…"_

'Whew!'

"_The FBI agent was able to identify every body that was found. Whoever Vivaldi picked up, whether that person was Eyes Only or not, was not found at the scene. However the FBI does have reason to believe that this person was injected with Kallocain, an experimental truth serum, and they are currently checking local hospitals."_

"Damn!" Max swore. She threw down the journal and went to find Dr. Carr.

When she found Dr. Carr he was in the recovery room talking to Bling. "No major physical injuries but there is a strange drug in his blood system. No telling when, or if he will wake up."

"According to the 11 o'clock news it's something called Kallocain." Max startled both men. "We can't have any record that he was ever here."

"Not a problem. We have him as John Doe," Dr Carr tried to reassure her.

"The FBI knows that Vivaldi picked up someone that he thought was Eyes Only." Max watched Dr. Carr warily. If he was surprised by the news that Logan was associated with Eyes Only, he didn't show it. She walked to Logan and took his hand. "Can we move him?"

"If we have to. I've never heard of Kallocain. I don't particularly like letting him go with an unknown drug in his system, but there isn't much I can do for him here," Dr Carr said.

"I'll see what I can find on it and get back to you," Bling replied.

"We can take him home?" Max asked, holding Logan's hand in hers.

"Too dangerous. Fogle Towers has security. If we took him in unconscious, they would have a record of it," Bling said.

"What if we wait 'til the bars close and you and me carry him in?" Max asked.

Bling finally smiled, "I have more medical equipment at the safe house on Columbia. Plus we can have people there watching him that don't necessarily need to know where he lives or his full name."

Max nodded. "I'll be there."

Bling and Dr. Carr took Logan to the safe house. If Dr. Carr knew more about Max he would wish she was there lifting the gurney, but he managed with great effort.

Max went to take care of some loose ends.

To be continued …Next: Loose Ends.


	5. Loose Ends

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

* * *

**Loose End**

Max sneaked into Logan's apartment, avoiding security the same way she had a hundred times before. She changed Logan's voicemail to an "I'll be out of town for a few days…" that he maintains on file, just in case.

She packed Logan a few clean changes of clothing. She went to his computer system and logged in. She sat the tape from Vivaldi on the computer table and stared at it for five minutes. She left it there and went to the fridge to get something to eat. She walked back to the computer and stared at the abhorrent tape.

She didn't want to watch the tape. Dr Carr already checked him out. She needed to get to the safe house on Columbia, to be with Logan. She didn't want to watch it.

What if the tape shows something else done to him? What if he was given a different drug? What if they called someone? What if he told them something? Even if it's just to find out how much they gave him, she needs to know. Logan is in good hands right now with Dr. Carr and Bling.

She can't delegate this, what if he said something about her? Manticore? Eyes Only?

In the end, it came down to her comfort or Logan's well being. There was no contest. She watched the tape, albeit in agony.

_The tape shows Logan being dragged in. _

"_Why can't he walk?" asks the pulp-for-brains dead thug._

"_He's a cripple. We left the wheelchair, didn't figure he would need it," taunts the dead hoodlum with the snapped neck._

"_Got that right," said the dead goon whose nose is now where his pineal gland should be._

Max sniffs back tears and puts the tape on 1.5 speed.

_The criminals insult him, mostly about being a cripple, do-gooder, four eyes. _

Max makes a mental note that she needs to remember to bring him a spare pair of glasses. The tears start running as soon as they tie his hands behind his back. Max can tell he's in pain, even though he's trying not to show it.

"_So, boss, want me to gut him?" asks the goon whose neck she snapped._

"_No. Well … not yet. We don't have our information," replies the goon whose nose went through his brain._

"_That really isn't much incentive for be helpful." Logan's being so brave._

"_You'll tell us everything. Eventually. Kallocain never fails." The goon with the severed spinal cord comes up behind Logan. He yanks back his head and shoves a needle into his neck. Logan cries out in pain._

Max sobbed once, tears flowing freely now. She froze the tape and zoomed in on the dosage, 25 ml! Quickly she searched Logan's files for any reference to Kallocain, and safe dosages. She reluctantly resumed the tape. She still needed to know if there were any phone calls.

"_No ID. Eyes Only thing?"_

"_Boss is a privacy nut." Logan tries to use his shoulder to rub where they injected him. A dead guy hits him. They start asking questions and taunting him. Eventually Logan's eyes appear to glaze over and he starts babbling. "You think I am pathetic? You don't know the half of it." He starts rambling on about some of the more embarrassing facts about his paraplegia. It was nothing Max hadn't already figured probable; nothing she hadn't accepted long ago._

"_A pathetic cripple that can't even get it up and I'm in love with a goddess."_

Max sobbed as strange pain goes through her chest. It hurts. Why is she scared? She even didn't know he had a girlfriend. Of course he wouldn't tell her. He needs her. It's her own fault. Why does it hurt so much? The answer, **'because you love him,'** is as immediate as it is unexpected. What does she know about love? It's her own fault that he never told her that he had a girlfriend. She made it pretty plain after the Bronck thing that she wasn't going to settle for just his worker. She forced him to lead her on. It was all her fault.

"_Which goddess?" a dead gangster laughs._

"_Bast."_

Max froze; her brain momentarily forgetting to send even the most basic commands to her lungs

"_She is perfect. The most singularly beautiful face I have ever seen. She thought that I was just trying to get close, but I didn't lie. She is beautiful. Intelligent, brilliant. Kicks my ass at chess."_

Max couldn't believe it. He was talking about her! He loved her, a genetically enhanced killing machine, a freak.

"_She gets her hands on you she is going to kick your asses, too. Or snap your neck. She can be kind of violent when pissed off." How could Logan smile at a time like that?_

"_I remember her! There were seven of us and she took everyone down. I only got away 'cause I woke up before the cops arrived. She **is** dangerous," said the dead lackey of the dead crime boss. _

"_We're ready. Like to see her try get in here," said the man who died without ever seeing her. _

Max finally smiled through her tears. How could Logan think she was too good for him?

_(phone rings) "Hello?" said the dead man whose nose went through his brain. "We got him. … No, no name yet. No ID on him at all. …We'll get it. …oh, yeah. Wait until you see him. Pathetic! …OK. Bring a couple pizzas. See you in an hour." _

Max realized that they must have just missed that FBI agent. She hopes that they didn't ID any of the vehicles. At least he wasn't told anything. How could Logan think he's not good enough?

When they got out the chain and ripped his shirt off, Max stopped the tape. She couldn't do it. She labeled the tape "Bad" and stuck it in his safe. She washed her face, put Logan's spare glasses in his bag and went to Logan as fast as she could, inconspicuously.

To be continued …Next: Vigil.


	6. Vigil

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

* * *

**Vigil**

Max arrived at the safe house on Columbia and well…assumed command. She went over the security system, supplies, and escape routes. She 'debriefed' Dr. Carr on Logan's condition. By the time she was through with him he had completely forgotten about doctor-patient confidentiality, as well as the fact that he was honorably discharged from the military a decade ago. He actually started to raise his arm to salute when Max finally told him he could go.

Eventually Max was able to uncover some information on Kallocain. Apparently, 25 ml was generally considered a safe dose. Logan should be waking up any minute now, but he didn't. The longer he stayed unconscious, the more Max despaired he wouldn't be waking up. Kallocain was strictly black ops; it wasn't approved by the FDA. There could easily be something else wrong.

Over the next several days Max fell into a routine. She cared for Logan all night. John Feltri, a paramedic and long time Eyes Only informant, came over in the morning. They had breakfast, discussed Logan's condition, and then Max went to work. She brought lunch over around 2pm when Bling showed up. The three of them had lunch, discussed Logan's condition, and then John went home to bed. Bling cared for Logan until Max got off work, then they had dinner, discussed Logan's condition and then Bling went home to bed. Max took care of Logan until the whole cycle started again.

It was at breakfast on the second day when John asked, "Max, are you ok?"

"I suppose. Why?" Max wasn't used to people caring about her and was suspicious of his motivation.

"I was just wondering. When is the last time you slept?"

"I don't sleep."

Unfortunately, that comment didn't help the rumors that were presently spreading throughout the informant net about the already hot topic of Logan's maybe-girlfriend.

* * *

When Bling arrived for lunch on the second day Ethan and Daniel were in the front room talking to John. 

"There's something odd about Max," John said.

Daniel laughed at him.

"I think so too," Ethan quickly asserted.

Daniel was still chuckling when he clarified. "Oh, I agree, it's just such an **understatement**. You didn't see what she did to Vivaldi's men. She went in, unarmed! Took them **all** out."

"**She** did that?" John asked, shocked.

"By herself! The place was…" Daniel started to explain.

"Hey!" said Bling. The other three men jumped slightly. "Max will be here with lunch any minute now. …You know that, right?"

"Yeah," said John. "Say, Bling? You heard from Eyes Only lately? Is he going to broadcast anything about Vivaldi?"

"No. I don't think he wants to be any more associated with that than he already is," replied Bling.

"I'm telling you, I still think Eyes Only is out cold in the bedroom." Daniel gestured in that general direction.

"I don't think so," Bling said.

"You haven't heard from Eyes Only since Logan's been out. Have you?" Daniel asked meaningfully.

"No, but that's not unusual. I normally go through Logan."

"Everybody goes through Logan," Daniel points out.

Max had heard enough of this conversation. She slammed the door after her and took lunch into the dining room. "Hey," she shouted as she set the table for lunch. "Oh, I didn't know you guys were going to me here. I only brought enough for the three of us."

"We already ate," Ethan supplies quickly.

"Okay," Max said. She smiles at them. They shift nervously.

After Max had gone back to work Ethan asked Bling, "So, about Max?"

"What?" Bling asked exasperatedly. He really didn't need this frustration too.

"Is she really Logan's girlfriend?" Ethan asked.

"If she isn't it's only because Logan has hang-ups about his injury. She definitely likes him." Bling smiled, grateful for the opportunity to steer gossip back to harmless ground.

* * *

Much later that day, after everyone else has left. "Bling, we need to talk." Max said. 

"I know," Bling said.

"Does anyone else know that Logan is Eyes Only?"

"I only know of one other person," Bling replied.

Max smiled in satisfaction. "That's all we need. Here's the plan …"

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around the next day Bling had arranged the largest possible audience for this performance. Dr Carr just finished examining Logan. Ethan, John, and the Johnson brothers were there talking. Max had just finished lunch with Bling, when the computer beeped. 

The red, white and blue Halloween mask with Logan's eyes began streaming across the monitor. "Turn on the video camera," said the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice.

Max walked over to the computer system in the corner and flipped on the video camera.

"Hey! Can you see this?" she said.

"Yes, that's fine. Dr. Carr, you're just the man I need to talk to," said the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice.

Dr. Carr was clearly shocked. "Me?" he asked uncertainly.

"I need to know how Logan Cale is doing," said the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice.

"Oh, I wish I had more information for you." Dr Carr hesitated. He thought briefly about patient confidentiality, but decided that it wouldn't be a breach to admit that he really didn't know anything. "I had never even heard of Kallocain before. I don't know what effect it is going to have on him."

"Max gave you the files I was able to uncover?" asked the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice.

"Yes, but according to that if Logan were reacting normally, he would have woken up by now." Most eyes in the room were on Max at this point, digesting the fact that she had direct contact with Eyes Only.

"I'll see if there is anything else I can find. I need Logan back up and functioning," said the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice.

"Do you have anyone else that can run the interference on traces?" Max asked.

"Logan is the best. There are a couple that could try, but I don't want to risk their lives if I don't have to," said the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice.

"But you'll risk Logan's?" Max demanded, apparently very annoyed.

"Even if they do trace Logan, anyone they send still has to get through you! Speaking of your martial prowess, you've scared some people," said the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice.

"Good!" replied Max.

"Some of **our** people," said the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice.

"Oh, not my fault that nobody clued them in on how bad things really are. You and Logan both try to shelter them too much. If they want to check my pulse to verify that I am not a vampire they can, but they have seen me in broad daylight so I don't know what they are worried about," Max said.

"There is no such thing as vampires," Ethan said.

Max just stared at him. The synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice doesn't say anything.

Ethan looks terror stricken. "Right?" he asked meekly.

"Now you are scaring them intentionally, Max," said the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice.

"They should be a little scared of me." Max sighed and turned to face the men. "I'm half-were-cat. I can't transform, but I am very fast and I can jump a twelve foot fence. The good news is that full moons don't affect me at all." Max manages with a straight face.

There was silence in the room for a few minutes.

"That's not funny," Bling finally said.

"It's very funny from here. You should see the looks on your faces. Unfortunately the truth is actually scarier." said the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice. "And enough to have our own government kill you if you know. So I think it is best if you just let it go. Maybe someday we'll be big enough to take on Federal projects, but not right now."

"You are such an optimist," Max said.

"I know. Max, take care of Logan. Peace out," said the synthesized, imitation Eyes Only voice. The transmission ends.

"I will," Max promises.

* * *

To be continued …Waking.


	7. Waking

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

* * *

**Wake**

Max finished Logan's range of motion exercises. She did them exactly as Bling instructed her, except sometimes she lost count, and had to start over. Logan was lying there unconscious, maybe fighting for his life, maybe dying, and she was enjoying being able to touch him. How sick was that? She finished doing all the exercises Bling told her to. Then she started over doing them again.

"Please, don't leave me," she begged. She wasn't sure if Logan could hear her. She wasn't sure if anyone or anything could. Even if there were a god, she wasn't exactly one of his creations, was she?

This was her fault. She wasn't watching over him. She hadn't protected him, again! She hadn't the stomach to watch the end of the tape. She finished Logan's range of motion exercises, again. She positioned him on his side to avoid bedsores and pulled the covers up over him. She'd been selfish enough. When John got in she was going to blow off work and go finish the tape. Then she was going to come back here and give him a does of revved up Manticore blood. He was going to get better. Of course, she still didn't know what she was going to say to him when he did wake up. She needed to let Logan know, immediately, that she loves him, she doesn't consider him broken, and he was not pathetic and was never to think of himself that way again. Of course she also needed to not screw things up. That was going to be the real trick. But not knowing how things were going to end never stopped her before. Heck, making it up as she went along was practically her trademark.

"Please, please, wake up. I need you." Max softly kissed his forehead. A single tear fell unto his face. She wiped it away with a finger. "I need him," she pleaded of any that might be listening.

Logan finally woke up just after 4 am. Max was by his side, typing away on his laptop.

"Hey," he said, getting her attention.

"Hey!" she said. She smiled and closed the laptop. Max turned to him and placed her hand on his forehead, as he had done for her when she had seizures. She hoped that it offered him as much comfort as she had received from it. "How are you?"

"Peachy," he managed to say through his parched throat.

"That slang for feeling like you've been beaten and unconscious for three days?"

"Three days?"

"Yep," replied Max.

"Oh no! I have to …" Logan tried to prop himself up on his arms, but winced at the pain.

"Hey!" Max gently eases Logan down unto the bed. "Dr Carr has stopped by several times. He and Bling have been here every day… everything is covered. Your next …" Max pauses, uncertain how to phrase this. "…bathroom … isn't for another four hours."

Logan closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "So, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. No big dealio."

Logan was lying there, wondering how he was ever going to face Max again, when he noticed he wasn't wearing anything. He ran a hand down to his still legs to confirm. He was wearing nothing, well maybe some socks, but still. He had an IV in his arm, but nothing else. "Where are my clothes?"

Max brought him the bag with his clothes and a glass of water. "If you can hold down liquids we can take the IV out."

Max helped Logan to sit up and take a drink. She propped pillows in behind him, trying her best to make him comfortable.

"What happened to my clothes?" he asked.

Max looked as if she was slightly confused at the question. "Logan, they were soaked … in blood. Don't you remember?"

"Not much," he confessed.

"Probably for the best."

"I feel terrible," he said.

"That is to be expected," Max tried to reassure him.

"So, is Dr. Carr going to be showing up in about four hours?"

"No, but I'll call him and let him know you're awake. He can stop by before he goes to work in the morning."

"Who?"

"Dr. Carr?" Max made an effort to avoid giving him the answer he deserved, but wouldn't enjoy.

"Max, who has been…taking care of … me?"

"Umm ...I've been taking care of you." Max says, hesitantly. "Dr. Carr and Bling both have jobs, they can't be here 24 hours a day. I have been here, except when I was at work." Logan looked pretty uncomfortable. "I'm sorry. I just didn't trust anyone else. Dr. Carr offered to have a home care nurse show up, but …the FBI is looking for an injured Eyes Only."

Logan just sat there, his beautiful green eyes tightly shut. "What happened?"

Max tried to stifle the sob, but what came out sounded like the soft mew of a lonely kitten. Logan's eyes snapped open and he stared at the tears brimming in hers. He had never seen Max so upset.

"I don't know where to start."

"The beginning would be good. I don't remember anything." Logan stared down at his hands, trying to brace himself.

'Thank you, whoever is up there!' Max thought. "Bling paged me three days ago. Told me you'd been captured. So I dropped everything and ran. Apparently you went to a meeting without me and it was a trap. The GPS signal from your phone said that you were in a house on Yancy Street in Sector 7. I went in to get you, but by the time I got there, they had already hurt you."

Logan looked at Max when she stopped talking and was amazed to see tears running down her face. "Max?"

"I'm sorry. I wasn't there for you. I didn't get there before they …" Max hesitated.

"Max, you obviously got there before they killed me. I take it you rescued me again?" Logan asked, trying to smile.

Max nodded. "Yeah. I apparently just missed the undercover FBI agent that was in with Vivaldi's gang. The FBI knows that he grabbed someone that the thought was Eyes Only, but they didn't get an ID. They are kinda freaked about the mess I left at the house." Max paused, looking at Logan uncertainly. She didn't want to tell him, but he was going to find out eventually and it was probably better if he found out from her. "I kinda freaked myself when I saw what they had done to you. I thought that …you would die. I was afraid. …My training kicked in. I did exactly what they taught me to do; what they **made** me to do."

"You killed them," Logan said.

Max nodded.

"It was war. You won." Logan reached out to comfort her.

"I was scared." Max said quietly.

"I'm sorry."

"No one understands."

"Max, I would have thought that with all that you have been through you would be used to being scared." Then a thought occurred to him. "Were you hurt?"

"No. No. I wasn't hurt. But…Logan I …I've never felt fear, not like that." Max looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Max?"

"I know you are the only one that might understand. The only one I can talk to… trust. I was never afraid. Not even when I was in situations where I knew I might die. It didn't bother me. I was conditioned, from the very beginning, to **accept** my death if it meant fulfilling the mission, doing my duty. …but ever since we escaped, I haven't had a mission. I've been running and hiding and surviving because that is what we were trained to do, not because I had anything worth living for. There was nothing … important to lose ... nothing that mattered …until I thought I might lose you!" She looks up with tears running down her cheek. "I don't know how to explain to you … how to tell you …I don't ..."

Logan could barely breath as the enormity of what she was trying to tell him sank in. "Max, it's OK. I'm all right. I understand. Come here. I want to try something." Logan remembered a line from an old movie 'I am not worthy, but there is no one else.' It seemed to apply here. "Put your head on my shoulder. Normally a man can comfort a woman like this. I am not sure I am up to it but…"

Max lays her head on his shoulder; he wraps his arms around her and strokes her hair.

"I feel better." She hastily reassures him that he is man enough to comfort a woman. She does feel better, better than she has in …she can't even remember. The warmth of his body and the feel of his chest, with the light sprinkle of chest hair under her hand, was very comforting to her.

Logan thinks about the magnitude of what she has just confessed. She must already know about … his condition, right? He has to know for sure. "Max?"

"Yes."

"If you've been taking care of me, then you know …there are things I can't do. That I may never able to do."

"I know," she replies very peacefully. She lay there, making nonsense patterns on his chest, reveling in his scent, his warmth, his touch.

"Max?"

"MMmmm?"

"Could we take the IV out?" he asked

"Oh, sure!" Max jumped up and retrieved the first aid kit. She removed the IV and put a bandage on his arm. "So," she asked when she finished, "Hungry?"

"Starving!" Logan replied. Max started to stand up, to go get him some food, when he grabbed her and pulled her to him. This kiss was calmer than their first. A beginning, instead of a desperate attempt to express a thousand things left unsaid in a single moment. Logan resolved that he wasn't leaving things unsaid between them.

Max opened her mouth to his tender invasion, her hands exploring his bare chest. Logan held her close to him, molding her body to him, headless of own nudity. There were things he could do for her. Not that he was quite up to most of them, but there was one thing that wasn't going to wait. "I love you."

"Yeah," Max said and tried to kiss him again.

"Huh?" Logan asked. He hadn't been talking in his sleep, had he?

"I mean, me too. That is …" Max took a deep breath and tried again. "I love you," she said. Logan smiled and slid his arm under her shirt. They made out for a few more minutes, until Logan stifled a yawn.

"You shouldn't overexert yourself." Max smiled at him, hoping he would understand.

"Stay. Stay with me," he asked sleepily.

"Always!" Max slipped off her shoes and pants and snuggled under the covers with Logan. The feel of his naked body against hers was the most wonderful thing she'd ever known. She laid her head on his chest and relaxed in his warmth. "By the way, I took over as field commander while you were out."

"Mm'kay," Logan mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

"I'm keeping it. You go out without proper backup again and I'll put you on KP for a month!"

Logan couldn't help but smile. Only his Max! His Max, he could get used to that. He tightened his arms around her briefly as he lifted his head and kissed her. "Yes, dear," he murmured.

This is going to work out just fine, was Max's last conscious thought as she drifted off to sleep, for once with no fear of bad dreams.

* * *

John let himself in the morning as usual. He was surprised that Max didn't greet him. She always checked on anyone opening the door. When he found them asleep in each others arms, with Max's pants on the floor, he smiled. 'Not my girlfriend, my ass!' he thought. He couldn't wait to tell the others!

* * *

And this, my fellow fanatics, is the end of **this** story! Thanks in advance for reviewing.

* * *

The End.


End file.
